Few modern democracies have less democratic legislative bodies than the House of Lords. In theory, its members are the “Lords Spiritual” and the “Lords Temporal” of the British realm—archaic terms for high-ranking clergy and landowning nobles. In practice today, most of its membership consists of “life peers” like Sewel. They are appointed by British prime ministers, serve for life, and receive the title “baron,” but their descendants don’t inherit it. The Lords also still seat 26 Church of England bishops and 92 hereditary peers from the aristocracy, to the British left’s constant scorn. None of its members are elected.
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